The Lace Reader

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www.barnesandnoble.com

The Lace Reader

Brunonia Barry

2006

The Summary

With the sudden disappearance of her grandmother, Towner Whitney is brought back to her hometown in Salem, Massachusetts, in search of answers.

Her journey, however, leads her to not only confront her family's ancient gift - an uncanny ability by the Whitney women to read the future in lace - but her own history as well, including the startling truth behind her twin sister's death.

The Good

Brunonia Barry's novel is intriguing because it uses a mixture of magic and superstition to present a unique and heart-wrenching story of loss, guilt, and forgiveness.  Emotionally charged and startlingly dramatic, The Lace Reader creates a world full of surprising twists and dark turns that will leave you speechless - and, more to the point, keep you riveted as you dig for answers right alongside Towner Whitney.

Although it is occasionally difficult to read Towner's narrative given the tragic nature of her story and the  insanity with which she grapples, she is an interesting character and her storytelling is precise, evocative, and, more importantly, candid.

She presents a truly compelling story, one that brings together her life and her history - and her family's mysterious gifts.

The Bad
Towner has visions.  She can see the future in a piece of lace.  She obviously struggles with multiple psychological disorders.

As such, her narrative can veer in new and surprising directions - and, occasionally, that means it can be difficult to differentiate between what Towner sees and perceives and what actually happens in reality.

For Towner, reality isn't set in stone.

The Ugly

At the beginning of The Lace Reader, you realize Towner is damaged.  Her mind is broken after the death of her sister, after her world came crashing down; however, you do not realize just how broken, until you learn what really happened to her twin sister, Lyndley - and what really happened to Towner herself.

The truth will be shocking.

Knit One, Kill Two

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www.maggiesefton.com

Knit One, Kill Two

Maggie Sefton

2005

The Summary

When Kelly Flynn returns to Colorado for her Aunt Helen's funeral, she expects the police have found the killer and solved the crime of her aunt's murder.  But then she learns her aunt has withdrawn a surprising amount of money - twenty thousand dollars, to be precise - and Kelly knows something is amiss.

Plagued by the inconsistencies of her aunt's gruesome demise and missing family relics, Kelly decides to do some digging of her own - and she will find out a startling secret about her aunt.  A secret she never expected from her bright, sensible reality.

The Good

Maggie Sefton's mystery novel is a quick, easy read.  It's intriguing with a dash of dark scandal to make it scintillating.  You're curious, one way or another, to see how things turn out for Kelly Flynn as she hunts for a killer and looks to unravel an incredible secret in her aunt's past.

The Bad

Knit One, Kill Two is an easy book into which you can jump, but not necessarily a book that can keep your attention for very long periods of time.  It's simple and it has enjoyable moments, but it's a book that once you figure out the mystery and divine an answer from the clues provided, you're hard-pressed to actually finish.

Moreover, some of the subplots are left dangling at the end of the book.  There's zero resolution for the little side adventures Kelly has, and you're still left with a couple questions by the end of the novel.

Over all, it isn't a very memorable story and it doesn't beckon to be read immediately.  But, luckily, it's easy to finish in a day - maybe, even an afternoon - if you're set on finishing a book from cover to cover and it actually has a recipe for cinnamon rolls, so that's pretty rewarding if you like to cook.

The Ugly

Well, it is a "murder mystery," so murder is obviously involved, but there's very little otherwise to make it a chillingly grisly novel.

Seraphina

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rachelhartmanbooks.com

Seraphina

Rachel Hartman

2012

The Summary

Seraphina Dombergh is a gifted musician and a talented singer and, as the assistant music mistress, she is constantly moving in and out of the royal court.  Seraphina, however, has one very dangerous secret:  she is half dragon.

With tensions rising between the dragons and mankind, Seraphina finds herself in a very precarious position.  Caught up in the investigation of the prince's death and struggling to keep her secret hidden from everyone she has ever known, Seraphina will find herself balancing on the precipice of two worlds - the human world of her father, and the dragon world of her mother.

The Good

Rachel Hartman's novel is wonderfully descriptive and detailed.  With her narrator (Seraphina Dombergh), she creates a beautiful and strange world full of dangerous dragons, unique races of people and creatures, martyred saints, and volatile politics.  It's an intriguing piece of work and highly addictive.

Additionally, Hartman tinkers with dragon lore by turning dragons into more than a sentient race but an entire people:  a population with its own laws, its own system of beliefs, its own technologies and literature.  Moreover, she creates a reality in which dragons have managed to take human form.  She offers a new series of questions about dragons and, more to the point, presents readers with a richer mythos.

I also enjoy Hartman's narrator, Seraphina Dombergh.  She's wonderfully descriptive and completely candid, having both a scathing wit and shyness that make her an intelligent and enjoyable narrator.  She's brave, she's flawed, and she's startlingly human - and it's incredibly easy to become emotionally invested in her story.

The Bad

Seraphina ends on a good note.  I can safely say I was pleased by its conclusion, despite the fact it lacked a complete resolution - that is, I was left with several lingering questions and an open-ended adventure.

So, I would really like a sequel.  I mean, most books I can wait to see - I'm patient.  You have to be when you inadvertently stumble into a series - but I need a sequel.  It ends with a cliff-hanger, so it's too inconclusive to not have a second in series.

The Ugly

Seraphina has many obstacles to face:  her dragon heritage, fear and self-loathing, hatred of her parentage, fear of discovery, fear of an impending war, fear for her own soul, social stigmas, struggles with her own mortality - or immortality? - and love.

It's a heady brew of emotional, social, and political conflicts.  And, honestly, you sometimes fear for Seraphina's safety.  You hope, even more than she hopes, that she finds happiness - and you keep your fingers crossed for her safety and the safety of those she cares about.